Since the beginning of 2023, Konami has been teasing Metal Gear fans with a teaser shared by Noriaki Okamura, formerly known as the producer of Metal Gear. The message conveyed by Noriaki Okamura was "Long-awaited" or in Indonesian it means "long awaited". It turns out that Okamura's message opened the first door to the Metal Gear franchise coming back to life.

In October 2023, Konami officially released Metal Gear Solid Master Collection (Vol. 1) which is a remastered version of the three classic Metal Gear Solid series. Apart from that, there are also several bonuses and updates that make this version more interesting than the original. So what is this game like? Is Konami's newest game worth having? Check out the full review below, guys!

Nostalgic

Metal Gear Solid and its sequel series are historic games in the gaming world. They are leading the way in the 3D stealth genre with ambitious cinematic stories. When the author played it again after more than 15 years on PC via Steam, the author was amazed because he still remembered the memories of playing the game. This series had a huge influence on the author's youth, and the author knows the author is not alone. Therefore, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is very important, both to preserve history and to bring nostalgia about one of the most influential game series of all time.

Recognizing the Origins of Metal Gear

Konami has put together some historic games for this package, starting with creator Hideo Kojima's beginnings. The original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in 8-bit format along with the NES version of Metal Gear and its unofficial sequel, Snake's Revenge, are all in this Master Collection. Even though these games are quite old, they can still be enjoyed, especially after the controls were updated for this collection. Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 remain the same as the original versions.

Virtual Museum: A Look at the Origins of the Known

More than just games, knowing the origins of Metal Gear is like visiting a virtual museum that provides insight into what it was like when Metal Gear moved to the 3D world. The Metal Gear 2 series, provided the foundation for Metal Gear Solid and the stealth-action genre as a whole. Many features such as Codec chat, alert status, enemy identification radar, and concepts such as crawling through vents all originated in these two games over 33 years ago. Maybe you won't want to complete both, but you should at least give them a try to see where Metal Gear started.

Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3 in HD

Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 are simply direct ports of the HD collections previously released for the Xbox 360 and PS3, which at that time were developed by Blue Point. In fact, the information on the start screen is exactly the same, which suggests that they just made another version with slight improvements over the classic version. That said, the porting is pretty good, with a few minor issues that can be overlooked.

One thing to note is that you don't actually get the original version of the game or the version that was once known as Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. What you get is a slightly newer version of both games, with a few missing features and a few other things.

For example, in Metal Gear Solid 1, it appears that the version used is the Pal version, which runs at 30 FPS, which is quite far from the original version. However, what's perhaps more disturbing is that the Metal Gear Solid 1 port looks less than visually satisfying. In fact, there are much better mod versions out there, even emulators like Duck Station can provide a better experience. So, big fans of Metal Gear Solid might feel a little disappointed with this porting of the Master Collection.

Main Menu: Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3

As an opening game, Metal Gear is not the best, but the highlights in this Master Collection are the first three Metal Gear Solid games. The first in the series, originally released in 1998, is the most important, especially since not many have been able to play it on modern platforms since. This Master Collection version is virtually unchanged from the original, with 4:3 graphics and blocky textures reminiscent of the PS1 era. You can adjust your display as you wish, and there are several wallpapers to fill the empty screen area.

Appreciating a Classic: Metal Gear Solid 1

The vintage graphics also lend a special charm to the experience. Despite its age, Metal Gear Solid retains its atmosphere 25 years on. From the opening vocals of "The Best is Yet to Come" to an encounter with the iconic Gray Fox, MGS is filled with memorable moments that are still relevant today. The use of a fixed camera gives the game a cinematic touch and helps avoid the camera problems that often plagued early 3D games. The controls can be a bit tricky, but they can still be mastered.

Visual Improvements: Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3

The Master Collection lets you see the graphic evolution in the series. Jumping from MGS on PS1 to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty on PS2 shows a clear improvement in every way. The addition of first-person shooting allows for better control, and the visuals have also seen improvements, especially in the remastered version of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. MGS2 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater run at higher resolutions and higher frame rates on PC, with additional features that enrich the experience.

Visuals Remain the Same

The graphics may not be up to par by today's standards, but retaining many of the original aspects of the game was a wise choice. However, there is a possibility that Konami will modernize Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 in the future.

Living Memories: MGS2 and Snake Eater

The author still remembers playing MGS2 and feels nostalgic when playing the opening sequence in the Master Collection. The game's details are still impressive, like shaking enemies to get their dog tags or hiding inside cardboard boxes. Snake's character change with Raiden may still be controversial, but it is part of an interesting story journey.

Meanwhile, MGS3: Snake Eater, will take us to the '60s and feature an ambitious camouflage system. The series gets weirder as time goes on, with various characters such as Vamps and strange enemies. The complex story and Kojima's unique style are the main appeal of the series, although there are times when the exposition is excessive. But, this is part of the charm of Metal Gear.

Ease of Play Settings

The Master Collection allows you to access the menu without having to quit the game, which makes it easy to change settings and view the manual online. However, this option only applies to Metal Gear Solid and not to MGS 2 or MGS 3.

Still Having Issues

To date there have been some technical issues with Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1. For example, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 only run at 720p resolution, even though they should be 1080p. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch version runs at 30 frames per second, while it should be 60 frames. Seeing this problem, Konami promised to fix it.

Verdict

Currently, Metal Gear Solid Master Collection (Vol. 1) is priced at IDR 729,000, although you can also buy the game separately for IDR 286,000 per game via Steam. Even so, these games are still amazing and provide the opportunity for many people to play them again on various platforms.

For those of you who are new to it and want to try Metal Gear Solid, this is the right opportunity. Even though it may seem difficult at first, the story presented is still fascinating. In the future, hopefully Konami will seriously fix the technical problems in the game and provide the best for the Metal Gear Solid series.

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